Community College Initiative Launches ‘Transfer 101’ Web Site

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AUSTIN – Higher education officials from The University of Texas System, Texas A&M University System and the 50 community college districts across the state today announced the launch of a new Web site devoted to simplifying the transfer process from Texas’ community colleges to public four-year universities – Transfer 101: From Community College to University.

The Web site (www.transfer101.org[3]), which is packed with user-friendly information and step-by-step instructions on how to successfully transition from community colleges to universities, will be prominently featured as a link on community college Web portals from all 50 public community college districts.

The interactive site includes direct links to specific departments within universities, such as student advising, financial aid and transferring. Links to other higher education resources, including checklists for applying for admission, transfer and financial aid, are included on the site, as well as links to success stories from students who successfully transferred to four-year institutions from community colleges.

The Transfer 101 campaign also extends to social media networks Twitter and Facebook, which will be used for announcements and reminders on application deadlines, among other things.

“We know one of the challenges to getting more students to transfer is in extending to them reliable information in an easily accessible and digestible format – and this new Web site addresses that,” said Martha Ellis, the UT System’s associate vice chancellor for community college partnerships. “It’s all about demystifying the process.”

Currently, detailed information on transferring to four-year institutions within the UT and Texas A&M University systems is available on the site. A process is being developed to include information on transferring to other Texas universities as requested.

The “Transfer 101” initiative is a collaborative partnership of the UT System, the Texas A&M University System and the Texas Association of Community Colleges, which is a nonprofit organization that includes all 50 public community college districts in the state.

The campaign aims to improve the pipeline of college transfers to help Texas achieve its goals of producing significantly more college graduates and enhancing its workforce.

About The University of Texas System The University of Texas System is one of the nation’s largest higher education systems, with nine academic campuses and six health institutions. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $11.9 billion (FY 2010) including $2.5 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. Student enrollment exceeded 195,000 in the 2008 academic year. The UT System confers more than one-third of the state's undergraduate degrees and educates nearly three-fourths of the state's healthcare professionals annually. With more than 84,000 employees, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.